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BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Which traits best predict ewe performance and survival the following year on a UK hill farm?

Abstract

Increasing ewe longevity and reproductive output can
improve whole-flock efficiency and reduce environmental
impact (Jones et al. 2013). By increasing ewe longevity
(the length of productive life), fewer replacements are
required, reducing the number of unproductive animals and
increasing the number of ewe lambs to sell (Dickerson &
Glimp 1975).
Longevity research often looks for genetic indicators
of this trait; however, heritability is low, or occasionally
moderate (Mekkawy et al. 2009). An alternative approach
may be to alter how animals are retained for breeding the
following year, allowing animals to reach their potential
and not reducing longevity by selling animals that are still
productive. To achieve this, it is essential to be able to
identify ewes that will survive and be productive. Although
most research on longevity concentrates on the whole
lifetime of an animal, it may be informative to consider
factors that affect just the following years’ performance, in
order to aid retention decisions, particularly when genetic
information is unavailable.

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For over seventy years the New Zealand Society of Animal Production has played an important role as a forum fostering research in all areas of animal production including production systems, nutrition, meat science, animal welfare, wool science, animal breeding and genetics.